nyah-bunyar
(temple)
Curated by Bindi Cole
Presented by Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Arts Centre
Australia
Australia
Melbourne Exclusive
From politically charged works engaging
with deaths in custody and mortality to the
contemporary re-imagining of a traditional
funeral ceremony, Nyah-bunyar is a bold and
unique exhibition.
Artists Tony Albert, Daniel Boyd, Maree Clarke,
Vicki Couzens, Fiona Foley, Denis Nona, Zane
Saunders, Yhonnie Scarce
Event Information
the Arts Centre, Gallery 1
Fri 8 – Sun 24 Oct
9am – Late
FREE
An Institute of Modern Art touring exhibition presented by Melbourne International Arts Festival
and Centre for Contemporary Photography
Inspired by rumours of weapons of
mass destruction and secret sites in Iraq,
American photographic artist Taryn Simon
focusses her lens on the hidden and
inaccessible places in her own country.
NYAH-BUNYAR
DISCOVERY AT
ARTPLAY
Presented by Melbourne International Arts
Festival and ArtPlay
Bring the family to discover more about Aboriginal
culture at the Nyah-bunyar Discovery at ArtPlay.
Explore the ritual and importance of traditional
Aboriginal mourning ceremonies with Koorie
artists Maree Clarke, Vicki Couzens and Nyahbunyar curator Bindi Cole. Join the artists for an
insider’s tour of the Nyah-bunyar exhibition at the
Arts Centre, then walk to ArtPlay to participate
in a contemporary ceremony designed to give a
greater understanding of the strength and healing
properties of traditional Aboriginal spiritual beliefs
and stories. These discovery activities promise a
very special experience for families to share.
Shot over four years, mostly with a large-format
view camera, the images in this fascinating
exhibition are in turn ethereal, foreboding,
deadpan and cinematic. In examining what is
integral to America's foundation, mythology
and daily functioning, the Index provides a
surprising map of the American mindset and
creates a vivid portrayal of the contemporary
United States.
Centre for Contemporary Photography
404 George St, Fitzroy
Official Opening
Thu 14 Oct at 6pm
Exhibition
Fri 15 Oct – Sun 12 Dec
Wed – Fri 11am – 6pm
Sat & Sun 12noon – 5pm
Closed Mon & Tue
FREE
www.melbournefestival.com.au
www.ccp.org.au
An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar is an Institute of Modern
Art, Brisbane, touring exhibition.
Taryn Simon is represented by Gargosian Gallery, New York.
Image: Taryn Simon, White Tiger (Kenny), Selective Inbreeding,
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and Foundation,
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Warning Not recommended for children under 5
Event Information
www.melbournefestival.com.au
Image: (left) Yhonnie Scarce, What They Wanted 2006
Blown Glass with twine
Image courtesy the artist and Dianne Tanzer Gallery + Projects
Sat 16, Sun 17, Sat 23 & Sun 24 Oct
at 10am & 1.30pm
Supported by
An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar
(2006) takes the viewer behind closed doors
to uncover some extraordinary things inside
places usually hidden from the public’s
view. Ranging across the realms of science,
government, medicine, entertainment, nature,
security, and religion, Simon’s photographic
subjects include glowing radioactive capsules
in an underwater nuclear-waste storage
facility, a Braille edition of Playboy, a deathrow prisoners' exercise yard, an inbred
tiger, corpses rotting in a Forensic Research
Facility, and a Scientology screening room.
Event Information
Participating Artists Maree Clarke,
Vicki Couzens with Bindi Cole
ArtPlay
Birrarung Marr
USA
An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar
For the 2010 Melbourne Festival, emerging
Indigenous artist Bindi Cole has curated an
ambitious exhibition exploring contemporary
Aboriginal spirituality in an urban world. Nyahbunyar (a Wathaurung word meaning ‘temple’)
takes a fresh look at notions of spirituality,
religion, ritual and death through a broad range
of works from both established and emerging
Indigenous artists.
Nyah-bunyar explores the complexities of
Aboriginal spiritual beliefs that have long been
misunderstood by non-Indigenous Australians.
The Aboriginal belief system, which upholds
and values ancestral beings, sacred sites, art,
ceremony, ritual, totems, values, lore and social
structures, continues to have significance in the
lives of Aboriginal people today, even for those
living in urban areas where the decimation of
culture and spirituality is more strongly felt.
These spiritual beliefs underpin the values and
choices of urban Aboriginal people, and this
exhibition examines how spirituality, religion,
ritual and death can be reconciled when so
much appears to have been lost.
TARYN SIMON
2hr
All Tickets.....................................................$10
Not eligible for Discount Packages
ArtPlay (03)9664 7900
www.artplay.com.au
Co-produced by City of Melbourne
Image: Vicki Couzens, Moorraka Koorramook, 2010
Image courtesy of the artist
50
51